A new portable camera which will be moved around the district to catch motorists who flout bus lane rules will go live in Bradford later this month.

The camera will initially be used on the outbound section of Bolton Road towards its junction with the A650 Shipley Airedale Road – where Bradford Council highways staff say they have received reports of vehicles ignoring the restrictions – but can be moved anywhere where there is a bus lane in force.

The Telegraph & Argus last month exclusively revealed the authority had received £2.3 million in paid fines over two and a half years since switching on cameras to catch motorists who misuse bus lanes and the Council said it had led to a 90 per cent drop in drivers breaking the rules.

Councillor Andrew Thornton, the Council’s executive member for environment, sport and sustainability, said: “Dedicated bus lanes increase the reliability of bus services and speed up journey times, which encourages the use of public transport. Those drivers who ignore bus lane restrictions risk delaying public transport as well as being a source of frustration and annoyance to law-abiding road users.

“Cameras are a cost-effective means of tackling those drivers who don’t comply with the rules.”

Figures released to the T&A under Freedom of Information rules showed that from April 2010 to December 2012 a total of 92,923 fines had been sent out to motorists, equating to 700 fines and £17,000 in income a week.

The penalty for ignoring bus lane restrictions is £60 – with a discount of up to £30 for prompt payment – which the Council said is used to cover the cost of enforcing the restrictions and making other improvements to the road network in the district.

Cameras at 11 key locations across the district continue to catch out drivers who flout the rules which allow buses, hackney cabs and cycles to use the lanes in a bid to cut traffic congestion.

Some bus lanes, such as those on the A650 Manningham Lane, operate only during rush hours, while others, such as those on Market Street in the city centre, operate permanently.

The Council said additional warning signs will be put at the first mobile site to make sure motorists are not taken unawares by the introduction of the camera.